Abstract:Objective:To investigate the protective function of panax notoginseng saponins(PNS) on grafted liver during ischemia-reperfusion in rat with orthotopic liver transplantation. Methods:After establishing rat orthotopic liver transplantation model, the rats were randomly divided into three groups:the experimental group(P),the control group(N), and sham operation group(S). The levels of serum ALT and AST were determined,the hepatic pathohistological changes were observed,the expression of caspase-3 and TNF-α were examined by immunohistochemistry, and the apoptotic hepatocytes in grafted liver were detected by TUNEL method. Results:The levels of ALT, AST, and the expression of caspase-3 and TNF-α,and apoptotic cells in grafted liver were significantly higher in the control group than that in the experimental group. Conclusions:PNS can protect the grafted liver from injury during ischemia-reperfusion in rat orthotopic liver transplantation.